2017 On-Page SEO Guide

Every year a new guide on on-page SEO is written, and it always starts off with “SEO has changed” and continues with the same old tactics.

It is now 2017 and I’d like to say that SEO has not just changed, the entire lid has been blown off! If you expect to rank in 2017, you have got to have a quality website with something to offer your user. Google has made it so SEO tactics of before are no longer recognized, and rankings now are based on quality, merit, social proof, and authority. The way we go about learning search engine optimization is a little different than the average SEO tutorial, so stay with us.

At the cornerstone of any SEO campaign is on-page SEO. This guide is a comprehensive tutorial to learning on-page SEO, meaning it requires a great detail of technical SEO experience already. Yes, it will cover all of the basics such as title tags and meta descriptions, but we will also delve into some of the more technical aspects of on-page SEO such as structured data, rel=canoncial, and JavaScript.

October 2017 Update – We update this guide on a constant basis, at least once per week. Just this past week we’ve removed stale / outdated information and added over 3000 words to our on-page SEO guide. Most notable we’ve added a new section on WordPress speed optimization which is a cornerstone of any on-page SEO campaign and updated several other sections as well. If you’d like to contribute please let us know!

Table of Contents – On-Page SEO Guide

Our WordPress speed optimization guide is quite possibly one of the most thorough guides on improving the load time of WordPress websites. This section is geared towards intermediate users, i.e. you are not a beginner you definitely know your way around WordPress, you know HTML but not an expert. We’ve gone way above and beyond the obvious, including sections such as:

Many SEO’s believe that they are optimizing their images, but don’t realize they are missing the boat entirely. In our guide to image optimization for SEO we outline the most essential tactics for image optimization. Image optimization isn’t just inserting an alt tag, there are over a dozen more factors when it comes to image optimization!

For many SEO’s internal linking is a random act carried out throughout their day. Professional SEO’s know that internal linking is a very deliberate strategy that can change the entire direction of a website. Aspects of internal linking include:

internal links for navigation

using widgets like “related posts”

finding your most inner-linked pages using Google Search Console

and more!

Some say internal linking is one of the most important aspects of on-page SEO, and we believe that as well!

The robots.txt file and the meta robots tag both act as traffic signals for search engine crawlers. Get to know them, and you can begin to understand how crawlers such as Googlebot move throughout your website.

Having an optimized URL structure and permalinks is mandatory in the 2017 version of SEO. Both humans and robots don’t want to read gibberish URL’s and parameters. In this guide we show you how to make your URL’s more user friendly, and how to optimize them for SEO.

At the core of any SEO campaign are meta descriptions. In this section we’ll teach you what they are, how to write them, how to measure them and so much more. In 2017 meta descriptions have grown in importance now more than ever. While they aren’t officially a ranking factor, they play a huge part in SEO with the fact that Google has been known to use them within the search engine results page.

Like meta descriptions, title tags are a core part of any SEO campaign. In addition to teaching you how to write them and optimize for SEO, we’ll show you some real world examples as well. Title tags are not only an important part of on page search engine optimization, they are extremely important part of user experience as well.

Learn more about how headings or “h tags” play a role in on-page SEO and how to properly implement them without going overboard. More than any other style of text, the H tag stands out the most, learn to use them to your advantage.

Quite possibly one of the hottest topics right now in SEO is structured data and schema markup. Since the onset of Google’s Knowledge Graph SEO’s around the globe have been in a frenzy marking up their websites with semantic markup. In this section of our on-page tutorial guide we’ll give you the basics and how to get started using structured data in your website.

With the introduction of JSON-LD, the new kid on the schema markup block SEO’s now have the ability to embed structured data into a website, without having to “attach” it to a particular website.

SEO is all about backlinks, right? Backlinks, backlinks, backlinks! Well, anchor text is the human readable part of a link, and is oh-so-essential in any on-page SEO strategy. Get to know and love anchor text and it will love you back.

Anchor text is not only a primary element of SEO, but also a secondary as well. For instance anchor text plays a huge part in keyword prominence, internal linking, and more!

Blogging plays such an important role in SEO we dedicated an entire section all to itself. In this section we’ll show you how to get started with blogging and how to optimize your blog for search engine friendliness. There are many different ways to blog, examples include:

The mobile revolution is here, and SEO plays a major part in it, but it’s not enough just to have a mobile or responsive website. You’ll learn how to optimize your responsive website for SEO, common SEO pitfalls and how responsive and mobile websites work. Google doesn’t often come out and say “this is a ranking factor” but in 2016 Google stated that having a mobile friendly website may in fact give you a boost in the search engine rankings. With that, we must pay close attention to this!

We won’t bore you with cliches like “content is king” but instead dive right into how content will help your SEO efforts and how to avoid common pitfalls that might cause a Google algorithm adjustment or penalty. Content plays a vital role in on-page SEO, it is base for which all SEO depends on. Content can come in the form of pure text, images, videos, and more.

One of the first things we look at when optimizing a new website is how fast it loads. This is another aspect of SEO that Google has publicly confirmed is a factor when it ranks websites, so with that it should not be ignored. Page speed and moreover site speed as a whole is one of the most important factors of on-page SEO that we focus on as an agency. Many times we’ll spend days optimizing a website for speed.

Close your eyes and what is the first word that comes to mind when I say SEO. Was it “keywords?” If so your just like most other SEO’s, and rightfully so! It is a huge part of on-page SEO and a lot to take in, so grab a coffee and get comfortable.

One of the few actually confirmed ranking factors, Google recently announced that having an HTTPS enabled website could in fact boost your rankings in the search engines. But it’s not that simple, there are a few on-page SEO caveats you should know as an SEO.

Choosing a domain name is a near permanent decision, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Learn more about domain names and SEO, EMD’s, new gTLD’s and so much more. While having a good domain name won’t make or break your entire SEO strategy, it could help move things along in other ways.

While social media is another way to generate traffic in and of itself, it also plays a vital role in search engine optimization. In this section we’ll learn how to use social media to your advantage and the role it plays in SEO.

The rel=canonical tag is a simple solution to the very complex problem of duplicate content within a website framework. In this section we’ll talk about how to implement it, when to implement it and some common pitfalls.

Learn more about the role that advertisements play in SEO and how you can minimize the risk of being penalized by Google. Advertisements are a huge part of the web and part of Google’s business model, but there is a fine line to walk when implementing ads on your website. In this section we talk more about embedding ads in your site, and how that plays a role in on-page SEO.

An XML sitemap can help create a map for Google to follow when crawling your website. Learn the difference between an XML sitemap and a website sitemap, and why we recommend having both for your website.